The invention relates to a multiple timer display device, and particularly to a liquid crystal display of a timer device, composed of a digital display and a needle display. On the needle display in a circular arrangement are a number of timing display areas that will digitally display the programmed starting times.
Conventionally, a regular timer involves a turning disc on its control panel. The turning disc will rotate With the timer, and on the turning disc are a number of pins that can be inserted in optional locations. The timer is a socket and a power supply plug. The power plug can be plugged to an indoor AC power outlet, and then an electrical appliance to be activated at a specific time maybe plugged into the timer's socket, after which the inserting pins are inserted to the time locations to start operation. When the turning disc has rotated to the position of a pin, the electromagnetic switch inside the timer will be turned on, so power is connected to the socket and power source, to activate the electrical appliance according to the programmed time schedule.
Besides, there is another type with a number of timing push keys in circular arrangement on the turning disc. The timing push keys are pushed to set the starting times, to program the starting times in a way similar to the aforementioned model.
The above two models of timer are mechanical, and since mechanical time setting is not precise, its setting can only be operated within a short cycle of 24 hours, so it is impossible to set the time for the next day, or any day within the week. Therefore, the setting of a time in a longer cycle will rely on an electronic timer, since an electronic timer is set by programming desired operating schedules in any day in the next several days, it has a greater flexibility in application.
A conventional electronic timer, however, has only one liquid crystal digital display, which displays only the preset time and week, instead of displaying the programmed time schedules for the current day. If the user wishes to know the programmed schedules for the current day, he has to use the function keys on the time and check the times that have been programmed, so it is inconvenient in application.
Since the length of programmed operating times is known only to the person who has set the programmed schedules, other persons will not be able to know how long the time is remaining before it stops to operate, even the original person who has set the programs may forget his original settings after an extended period of use, and therefore, there is no way of knowing the duration of the operation once the preset time schedule is activated; this is a shortcoming that need to be addressed
The liquid crystal display of a conventional electronic timer will display only a digital time, instead of a hand or needle indicated time (i.e., an analog-type clock face display), even though since everyone has a different way of knowing the time, some being used to see a digital display while others are used to see are the analog display, with most users being used to looking at a clock hand indication showing the time. Because the conventional electronic timer usually displays only a digital time, therefore, to a user who is used looking at a clock hand indicated time has to convert the digital display to an image of needles indicating the time, causing inconvenience to the user.
The inventor has considered the shortcomings of conventional electronic timers, such as: mere display of time without displaying the programmed starting time for the current day, inability to display the time remaining after the appliance is operated, single display of digital time without the analog clock face or clock hand display etc., therefore, such inconveniences in application need to be addressed. The inventor has devoted much research effort to design; a type of multiple timer display, comprising a DC supply circuit, a central processing unit, a slide switch, a function key set and a liquid crystal multiple display, the DC supply circuit being connected to an AC power to convert AC to DC for the purpose of supplying power to interior circuit, and said slide switch, function key set and liquid crystal multiple display being connected to the central processing unit. The slide switch serves to switch to the mode for operation, and the function keys serve to set the program schedules, so the central processing unit will activate the electromagnetic switch according to the programmed schedules, which in turn connect the AC power source with the output socket. The liquid crystal multiple display is composed of a digital display and a needle indicator display, and, in circular arrangement on the needle indicator display are a number of timing display areas, so it will digitally display the programmed starting times and will begin a countdown after the programmed schedule is activated, displaying the time remaining in the operation. Meanwhile, it displays the number of programmed sets on the current day when the timer is not activated, therefore it is quite convenient to the user.